We Need to Talk About Doing Nothing
Published by Dr. S. PON SHYLAJA, Ph.D. | PSYCHOLOGIST
You’re reading this on your phone right now, aren’t you? Maybe you’ve got three tabs open. Maybe there’s a show playing in the background. Maybe you’re also halfway through a conversation with someone.
When did we become like this?
I remember summer afternoons as a kid. Lying on the floor, watching the ceiling fan go round and round. Just… watching. Not thinking about productivity or goals. Just existing. When was the last time you did that? Actually, can you even imagine doing that now without your fingers itching for your phone?
We’ve become terrified of empty moments. That two-minute gap before your friend arrives at the cafe? Scrolling. Waiting for the lift? Scrolling. The thirty seconds while your food heats in the microwave? You know what you’re doing.
Here’s what nobody tells you. Your brain isn’t built for this constant noise. It’s like trying to have a conversation while ten people are shouting at you from all directions. Sure, you’re hearing words, but are you actually processing anything?
Think about the last time you had a genuinely good idea. I bet you weren’t sitting at your desk trying to force it. Maybe you were in the shower. Or on a walk. Or just staring out the window. That’s not a coincidence. Your brain does its best thinking when you’re not actively thinking.
But we’ve forgotten how to do nothing. The moment we try, the guilt creeps in. “I should be working. I should be learning something. I should be doing something productive”. As if your worth as a human being depends on how busy you are.
Let me tell you what happens in my therapy room. People come in burnt out, anxious, feeling like their brain is foggy all the time. And when I ask them about their routine, it’s always the same. Morning to night, constant input. No gaps. No breathing room. Just consumption, consumption, consumption.
Your brain needs boredom. It needs those empty spaces. That’s when it sorts through everything, makes connections, processes emotions, and figures things out. But if you’re always feeding it information, when does it get time to digest?
Try something for me. Right now, after you finish reading this, put your phone away for just five minutes. Don’t meditate. Don’t try to be zen. Just sit. Maybe look out your window. Watch the street. Notice how uncomfortable it feels. Notice the urge to grab your phone. That discomfort? That’s how deep this habit goes.
The irony is, doing nothing actually makes you better at everything. Athletes rest between training because that’s when muscles grow. Your brain works the same way. You can’t just keep grinding and expect it to keep performing.
We live in a world that glorifies being busy. “How are you?” “So busy, yaar!” Like it’s an achievement. But being constantly occupied isn’t living. It’s just… noise.
So here’s the uncomfortable truth. If the idea of sitting quietly for five minutes without your phone makes you anxious, you don’t need motivation. You need intervention.
Your brain is exhausted. Give it a break. Not because you’ll be more productive. Not because it’s self-care or wellness or whatever trendy term we’re using now. But because you’re human, and humans need moments of nothing.
Start today. Five minutes of nothing. No agenda. No goal. Just you, existing.
See what happens.
